The Philippines, through the help of the Italian government, is harnessing marine current for alternative source of energy.

The Italian government, through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) and the Italian Embassy, and the Philippine government, through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), have set the flow for the technology demonstration of the Italian Kobold turbine for marine current power generation in the Philippines. 

The Cebu Strait was identified as the potential site for the installation of the Kobold technology.

LORENZO MATACENA (fifth from left) of Italy’s Ponte di Archimede (PDA), the developer of Kobold; Engr. Arthur Uy of CSC (fourth from left) and Alice Villanueva of FFSI (sixth from left) sign the agreement for the implementation of the Kobold turbine demonstration project. Flanking them are (from left) Felipe Pestano, FFSI; Italian Ambassador Rubens Ana Fidele, Science Secretary Estrella Alabastro; Dean Pestano, FFSI; Luciano Fulcie, PDA; Engr. Raul Sabularse, PCIERD deputy executive director; and Engr. Loreto Carasi, PCIERD project monitor.

Marine current at four meters a second is required by the Kobold to generate energy—which is equivalent to wind velocity of 136 kilometers/hour—is needed for the wind turbine to also generate power. 

At present, the Kobold turbine is installed at the Messina Strait in Italy and is generating power of 50 kilowatts.   The Philippines was chosen for the demonstration project because it is surrounded by coastal waters, a good resource for marine current power.

For the DOST, the project will be monitored by the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD).

The DOST enlisted the Colorado Shipyard Corp. (CSC) and the Filipinas Fabricators and Sales Inc. (FFSI) for the project. 

The agreement for the implementation of the demonstration project was signed on February 21 by Italy’s Ponte di Archimede (PDA), the developer of the Kobold represented by Lorenzo Matacena, engineer Arthur Uy of CSC and Alice Villanueva of FFSI.

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The Philippines, through the help of the Italian government, is harnessing marine current for alternative source of energy.